How expensive is it to live in Spain? Not very...
How expensive is it to live in Spain? Not very...

As you might have expected, life in Spain is very cheap. Even so, it is important to spend some time analysing the cost of living before you decide to buy a property in Spain, whether you plan to live there or just want to buy a holiday home. In the end, you will soon find that Spain has one of the lowest costs of living in Europe.

Most everyday products cost much less in Spain than in the UK, although items imported from home explicitly for foreigners, like baked beans, will obviously be more expensive. Fresh produce is less expensive at the many markets and often actually of better quality than fruit, vegetables, bread, dairy products and the like available at the supermarket.

Both food prices and the cost of maintaining a house are very reasonable. Moving around the country, whether you choose to do so in train or by car, is not very expensive, which makes Spain a very alluring country to live in permanently and for holiday home owners.

Lifestyle choices and their costs

Restaurant prices in Spain are 26% lower than in the UK and most clothes can be found at fairly good prices, too. However, prepaid mobile tariffs for local calls (without discounts or saving plans) are quite similar in both countries.

The monthly rent for a 1-bedroom apartment in the city centre of Madrid is more than half as much as in London and the selling price per square metre for an apartment in the city centre of Madrid is 70% less.